EXPERIENCES FROM USING INTEGRATED PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS TO SUPPORT PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT

Integrated program descriptions constitute a framework for the information produced during a program development process, as well as to support the development process per se. An integrated program description describes the goals, content and structure of an educational program, and how these are connected. The intent is to provide the program director and other key stakeholders involved in the program development process with a set of tools that can facilitate their development process. In this paper, we describe how the concept of integrated program descriptions was applied in a multi-program development effort, the development of 44 new master programs at Chalmers University of Technology, Goteborg, Sweden. The aims were to document and analyze experiences gained when using integrated programme description to support the development of these new programs, and to develop recommendations for future development of IPD’s.